Chance Encounters

So, boarding the bus around 5:00 p.m., I headed towards my usual evening meal at the 'Animal Shelter' (homeless men's shelter), carrying with me to read on the way my latest Maigret detective novel, La Jeune Morte, which I had nearly finished--and, by dint of reading ceaselessly during the first jaunt on the #1 bus, and continuing through the ten minutes' halt at the bus transfer point, and on till about halfway through the second and last jaunt on the #20 bus--where, with mingled regret and satisfaction, I came to the end of the book.  I woke as from a dream and found myself sitting next to a  charming, blond 'young' woman in her late thirties, notably well-groomed and chic for all her touristy déshabille, who was looking right into my eyes and smiling.  I found myself saying to her--blurting rather--as if we'd just been having an ongoing conversation, "I have just read the most wonderful detective novel!"  And without missing a beat, she answered,

"Et vous l'avez lu en français?"

"Bien sûr.  C'est très bien écrit.  Mais--Vous êtes française?"

And so, for the three remaining minutes of my ride, my newfound friend and I talked about Simenon and the Maigret detective novels, and how truly, densely idiomatic they are, and difficult for foreigners, and where she (I never did learn her name) was from exactly:  "Niort--entre Bordeaux et Nantes."

So, this morning, first Googling (before even checking my email), I find that Niort, of which before last night I had never heard, is the birthplace of two very interesting people:  (1) Mme. de Maintenon and (2) Santiago de Liniers y Bremond (July 25, 1753 -- August 26, 1810), Cavalier of the Order of San Juan, Cavalier of the Order of Montesa, Captain in the Spanish Royal Navy, whose life, and death, is the tragic and heroic story of the Argentine War of Independence and the resistance of the tragic and heroic Argentine people to the two (count 'em) British Invasions.  And I had thought that the Opium Wars were pretty much the extent of British 19th century iniquity.  Hah!